


Familiar Face

by Hinn_Raven



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bat Family, Ensemble Cast, F/M, Father Jason Todd, Fix-It, Flashpoint (DCU), Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2019-09-04 22:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16798294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hinn_Raven/pseuds/Hinn_Raven
Summary: The Bats go to investigate a mysterious energy reading. They find that there might be a few familiar faces behind it.





	Familiar Face

**Author's Note:**

> LOOK WHAT I FINALLY FINISHED!!!! 
> 
> Pairings: Dick/Babs, Steph/Tim, Jason/Donna, previous Kori/Dick
> 
> Characters: Father Todd, Batfamily, the Outlaws, Wally West, Donna Troy, Lian Harper, Colin Wilkes, Nell Little, various others
> 
> Summary: The Bats go to investigate a mysterious energy reading. They find that there might be a few familiar faces behind it.

The man straightened up, turning slowly to face them.  
  
Something caught in Bruce’s throat as he looked at the other man.  
  
The other man stood at exactly Bruce’s height, although he was not nearly as broad. His hair was jet black, except for an odd streak of white above his forehead. His eyes were a bright, piercing green that betrayed no emotion as he looked upon the extended Batfamily. His skin was pale, as if he hadn’t left this building in a very long time. He wore the garb of a clergyman, and a crucifix dangled from around his neck. Bruce was nearly certain that he had never seen this man before in his life.  
  
And yet, something about him was undeniably familiar, and it set his teeth on edge. He cupped his hand, allowing a batarang to fall into his palm.  
  
The green eyes flickered over them all, circulating from Bruce to Dick to Tim to Damian to Barbara and back to Bruce again.  
  
“Hello Mister Wayne,” he said after a moment, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face. “It’s so good to meet you at last. My name is Father Jason Todd.”  
  
There was the slightest noise that was either Bruce dropping the batarang or all of their minds exploding at once.  
  
The man’s smile was kind and calming. “I’m sure you have questions…”  
  
“Who are you, really?” Tim asked, eyes narrow.   
  
“Jason Todd,” the man replied, not blinking. “I am the priest of this parish.”  
  
“This place is radiating energy,” Tim stated flatly. “What are you up to?”   
  
Damian nodded in agreement, raising a batarang.   
  
Todd’s eyes narrowed at that. “This is a place of sanctuary, child. I will tolerate no violence here.”  
  
“Tt,” Damian said, eyes narrowed in a mocking manner.  
  
“Sanctuary,” Bruce said slowly. “Who else have you offered sanctuary here?”  
  
Todd looked at him, apparently amused. “Refugees from a dead world. Children, lost without a home.”  
  
“What kind of refugees?” Dick asked. “What kind of person would radiate that kind of energy signature?”  
  
Todd’s face was drawn. “I do not see how this is any of your business. I suggest you leave…”  
  
“We need answers,” Babs said flatly. “You’re going to give us them.”  
  
“There are no answers here, Barbara Gordon,” the man said, voice dangerous. “You will not like what you find here.”  
  
He started to walk away. Damian snarled and threw his batarang.  
  
In hindsight, that was when everything fell to pieces. The batarang collided with Todd’s back, sending the man of cloth sprawling. A woman appeared in the spiral staircase that led into the upper portion of the church. “Bad!” She yelled, vaulting over the bannister.   
  
She was of Asian descent, stood at around five feet, and wore a black turtleneck and blue skinny jeans. She landed protectively in front of Todd and fell into a defensive stance. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw who was in front of her, but she remained firm.   
  
“Cassandra!” Todd grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled her towards him. “Cassandra! There will be no violence in my church, do you understand?”  
  
“They hurt you!” The girl protested.  
  
“And if they were part of my flock, I would say the same!” Todd said flatly, his grip on her arm firm.  
  
“Why are they even here?” Another voice said. A blonde girl wearing a purple hoodie and jeans emerged from the spiral staircase.  
  
“I believe,” Todd said, his voice low and considering, “That they have come to believe that I am harboring some sort of dangerous weapon.”   
  
The blonde let out a musical laugh as she darted to Jason’s side. “Ooh, something you’re not telling us, Father?”   
  
Todd rolled his eyes fondly, releasing Cassandra’s wrist. “You know all my secrets, Stephanie.” 

“What’s going on?” Tim asked, eying the Asian girl cautiously. Something about her made him nervous.   
  
Jason—or not?—inclined his head slightly. “I am Father Jason Todd, of the World that Became. These are Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain of the World that Was.”  
  
“The World that Was?” Tim echoed.  
  
The blonde sighed. “You’re telling the story? Should I go get the others then?”  
  
“I’m sure Donna and Wally would be interested in knowing that Nightwing and the others are here, at the very least,” Father Jason said, nodding.  
  
“Why me?” Nightwing said, shifting his grip on his escirma sticks ever-so-slightly.  
  
“Wow, they really don’t know,” Stephanie said, something changing in her expression.   
  
“I did tell you,” Jason said softly, releasing Cassandra in order to place a hand on Stephanie’s shoulder. “The damage to the time stream was quite severe.”  
  
“Uncle Barry really should have known better,” announced another man.  
  
“Wally!” Cassandra said, beaming. Jason turned a questioning glance to the redhead, who was followed by two women with dark hair. The three of them all looked vaguely familiar to Nightwing, although he couldn’t figure out why. He was certain that he had never seen any of them before.  
  
“We heard noises,” the first woman said, smiling at Jason before turning her attention to the assembled Batfamily, who still wielded their weapons.  
  
“Watch out for that one Donna,” Stephanie said, pointing at Robin. “He bites. And insults. And complains.”  
  
“And how would you know that?” Nightwing demanded, focusing on the blonde, while Damian glowered at her and reached for a batarang.  
  
“It’s all part of the story,” Jason said, drawing Stephanie a little closer to him, clearly having noticed Damian’s expression. “Wally, do you want to get Linda and the kids, or…”  
  
“The kids are asleep,” the redhead—Wally apparently—said. “But Linda probably will want to be included."  
  
“I’ll go get her,” the other woman, tall and pretty of Italian descent, said.  
  
“Thank you Helena,” Jason said with a nod.  
  
“So, who are those two?” Dick asked after a long pause, nodding in their direction, still not putting away his weapons.  
  
“I’m Wally, Wally West,” the redhead said, giving Dick a sad smile.  
  
“And I am Donna Troy,” the woman said, nodding her head. The candles around the altar made her hair gleam oddly—almost as if it sparkled. “It is a pleasure to meet you in this world, Nightwing.”  
  
“Gotta agree with you there Donna,” Wally said, throwing an arm over Donna’s shoulders in a gesture of camaraderie.  
  
“Red is totally not his color though,” Stephanie said to Jason, just loud enough for the Bats to hear. “I miss the blue.”  
  
Jason chuckled.  
  
“I’m sorry, but what is going on?” Dick demanded.  
  
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Jason Todd said, pushing open the doors. This was the proper Jason Todd. His hair was purely black, he wore a leather jacket and Kevlar undershirt. Koriand’r and Roy Harper flanked him on either side, both looking a bit confused.  
  
The other Jason’s lips thinned into a line. “I suppose the guns are necessary in a church?” he said pointedly.  
  
“Never go anywhere without them,” Jason said.  
  
“Oh look who showed up,” Helena said, emerging from the staircase, leading a woman of Korean descent. Following that woman was…  
  
“Daddy?”

* * *

Jason was weary. Traci was gone now, and he was just returning to his church after another busy day.  
  
He pushed open the door of the church softly. The church was dark and empty. His shoes were loud on the floor as he made his way through the building, knowing that there were matches in the sacristy that he could use to light the candles. The children who slept in the alley behind the church before Jason had arrived in the parish now slept on the pews at night, and three of them were afraid of the dark. The candles cost money, but Jason had long decided it was worth it.  
  
Jason slowly moved through the church, lighting the candles around the altar and the small statues in their niches. Just as he lit the last one, the door to the church swung open.  
  
A man, dressed in khaki pants and a sweater vest walked into the church. His hair was blonde and cropped short, and he held himself in the same way that Traci had.  
  
“Hello,” Jason said, turning to face the man. He blinked.  
  
The other man seemed to be surrounded by an otherworldly glow. A faint, translucent halo of golden light clung to him. Jason felt nearly blinded. He kept his composure, however.  
  
“Hello Father,” the golden haired man said, smiling tiredly.  
  
“Are you searching for something?” Jason asked, curious as to what a man who he had never seen in his parish before, who was clearly not from Gotham (a faint Midwestern accent clung to the man’s vowels) was doing in his church, even ignoring the fact that the man was glowing.  
  
The man laughed, running a hand through his hair. “Answers, I guess,” the man said. He shrugged tiredly. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in a church.”  
  
Jason gave him half a smile. “It happens,” he said. “Can I help you with anything?”  
  
The man shook his head. “I don’t think so, Father.”  
  
Jason looked at him. “Sometimes, talking does help.”  
  
The man shook his head again. “I don’t think it will. I know what I have to do,” he said quietly. “I just… need to get ready for it.”  
  
“A job?”  
  
The man laughed again, bitterly. “Fixing my mistake. I’m the only one who can, but…”  
  
Jason placed a hand on the other’s shoulder. “You don’t know if you can?”  
  
“Not the way it should be done, anyway,” he replied.  
  
“Just do your best,” Jason said, smiling faintly. “And then keep trying.”  
  
The man nodded, still exhaustedly. “I suppose you’re right,” he sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. “Thank you Father…”  
  
“Todd,” Jason said, smiling. “Jason Todd.”  
  
Something flickered across the man’s face, but it passed far too quickly for Jason to be able to identify it. The aura flickered.  
  
“Barry Allen,” the man said, smiling. “Pleasure to meet you.”  
  
He turned around and left.  
  
Jason watched him go, and then resumed his work. The children would be coming soon, and Jason had spare money this week, so he’d be sure that they had food.

* * *

The next morning, a wave of nausea caught him up as he helped the volunteers serve breakfast. He fell to the ground, the earth pitching beneath his feet.  
  
“Father Todd!” Barbara Gordon, the commissioner’s daughter, who came on weekends, grabbed him.  
  
“Father Jason!” Colin Wilkes, a little boy with bright red hair who slept as close to the altar as he could, looked up at him with huge eyes. “Are you okay?  
”  
He opened his mouth to reassure them, to tell them he would be alright; it was nothing, when the hand gripping him disappeared. He turned just in time to see Barbara Gordon fade into thin air, leaving nothing but a faint silver aura, which disappeared a moment later.  
  
“Barbara!”  
  
“Father?” Colin tugged his sleeve, concerned. “Are you alright?”  
  
The world had stabilized. Jason looked around, noting the severely diminished crowd. Jason felt his skin crawl as he looked at Colin, who now was surrounded by a faint golden glow, similar to Barry Allen’s yesterday.  
  
“It’s fine Colin,” he said quietly, not liking the heaviness in his stomach. “It will all be alright.”

He hated lying. But he supposed that, just this once, he could allow himself to.

* * *

Jason pretended not to be worried for Colin the next morning when they woke up and the others were gone. And then when they discovered that they, for some mysterious reason, could not seem to exit the church.  
  
The aura around Colin was stronger than the previous morning, and it worried Jason. He prayed, and helped Colin make dinner.  
  
His dreams that night were dark and confusing, filled with memories that weren’t his and images of people he had never met.  
  
The next morning, they still couldn’t leave. Jason spent the day teaching the boy how to play various card games, and then how to make stir fry. At night, Jason took Colin to the bell tower, and they watched as the Batsignal lit up the sky.  
  
“I met Robin,” the boy said, leaning into Jason.  
  
“Robin?” The word felt odd in Jason’s mouth.  
  
Colin looked at Jason oddly. “You know, Batman’s sidekick. Ten years old, bad temper, wears way too many colors to be stealthy.”  
  
It felt as though someone had dropped an ice cube down Jason’s neck. Jason had met Batman. He had taken Thomas Wayne’s confession time and time again. There was no sidekick. Thomas Wayne would never endanger a child. Not after Bruce.  
  
“Right,” Jason said quietly. “Of course.”  
  
Something was very wrong. Jason gripped his crucifix and prayed for answers.  
  
The next morning, they arrived… of sorts.  
  
A woman, wearing a leotard that seemed to be decorated with stars, stumbled into the church. In her arms was a dark haired girl younger than Colin, who was pale and thin, clinging to the woman.  
  
The little girl glowed bright gold, but the woman practically radiated it. Jason and Colin ran to them. The woman fell onto the floor, protecting the girl despite collapsing.  
  
“Jason,” the woman muttered, gripping onto Jason’s robe as he tried to help her. Her eyes fluttered. It was clear she was struggling to hold onto consciousness. “He broke it Jason. Barry broke it.”  
  
“What did he break?” Jason said, not bothering to ask how the woman knew his name. “What did he break?” He suddenly realized that this woman wore bracelets and carried a lasso, like the Amazons.  
  
The woman didn’t answer, eyes closed. Jason felt an urge to swear, but he suppressed it. He turned to the children, who were clinging to each other. He sighed. “Help me take her into the sleeping quarters.”  
  
He laid the woman down on one of beds that existed in case of visiting priests. They hadn’t been slept in as long as Jason had been in charge of the parish, excepting Colin the previous two nights, but Jason didn’t know how long the woman would be asleep.  
  
“What’s your name?” he asked the girl, who had black pony tails and an odd hat on her head.  
  
“Lian Harper,” she told him. “That’s my Auntie Donna.”  
  
“I’m Father Jason, Lian,” he told her. “This is Colin.”  
  
Lian looked at Colin, and waved. “I’m six,” she told him importantly.  
  
“I’m nine,” he replied. “Want pancakes?”  
  
The girl looked at him suspiciously. “My daddy says I’m not supposed to go with strangers.”  
  
“Aren’t you hungry?” Jason asked her, pulling the covers over Donna.  
  
“Yes,” she said reluctantly.  
  
“Come on then,” Jason said, offering them both his hands. “We’ll eat, and then when your aunt wakes up, we can talk.”

* * *

Donna did not wake up for weeks. She ran a fever, tossing and turning in the bed. Jason split his time between sitting with her and entertaining the children. He found Monopoly and Apples to Apples in a cupboard that he had never opened before, and taught Lian and Colin how to play. Colin taught Lian mancala and Crazy Eights.  
  
Lian told Jason and Colin insane stories about a satellite where super heroes live. She told him about her father, who was some sort of archer, someone named “Aunt Dinah,” who taught her how to kick “bad guy butt”, “Uncle Dick” who taught her how to do handstands, and a wide variety of other aunts and uncles, all of whom were apparently superheroes. Colin didn’t seem to find these stories so strange, and he seemed thrilled that she had met someone named “Superman”.  
  
Jason pressed a cool cloth to Donna’s forehead. “I wish you were awake,” he sighed. “I have a feeling that you might have more answers.”  
  
Two weeks into Donna’s sleep, another woman stormed through the doors. Her glow was almost imperceptible. She was of Italian descent, and wore an outfit of purple that exposed her midriff. Colin seemed to recognize her, but she, confusingly enough, seemed to recognize Jason.  
  
“Todd,” she snarled, pulling out a crossbow. Jason spread his hands out, trying to signal her not to shoot him. He had been shot before, but never with a crossbow, never in his church, and never in front of children.  
  
“And you are?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but he was not sure if he was succeeding. Lian and Colin hid underneath the pews.  
  
“Huntress,” the woman snarled. “I should have known you had something to do with this. Oracle told me about you…”  
  
“Oracle?” Lian had mentioned a woman named Oracle.  
  
Huntress glowered at him. “Don’t play dumb, Hood.”  
  
“Hood?” He repeated incredulously. “I believe you have mistaken me for someone else. I am Father Todd. I am the pastor for this parish.”  
  
“This parish,” Huntress snapped, “Was abandoned after No Man’s Land!”  
  
Jason blinked. “Pardon?”  
  
The woman glowered. “That’s it!”  
  
Lian poked her head out. “Leave him alone!”  
  
The woman froze. “Lian Harper?”  
  
After that, the woman listened.  
  
“Barry Allen?” She said, scowling. “I heard he was back, but what could he have broken…”  
  
“I believe…” Jason said quietly. “I believe he might have broken the world.”

* * *

Helena could come and go, it was quickly discovered. She stomped out, vowing to find others like them.  
  
She showed up, dragging a blonde teen wearing a female, purple version of Batman’s outfit, who was a sobbing, furious wreck.  
  
“They can’t see me!” She yelled. “Why can’t they see me?”  
  
Jason wrapped his arms around her. “We don’t know.” Her glow was faint at first, but after three days, she shone as bright as Colin or Lian. She couldn’t leave. Helena continued to do so, vowing to find the others.  
  
A child named Nell Little appeared at the door, cold and shivering. Steph nearly cried for joy, hugging the girl close.  
  
A man with red hair, carrying a Korean woman in his arms, with two children hanging off his back, appeared on the doorstep one day. “Helena sent us,” he said simply. “I’m Wally. This is my wife, Linda, and our kids, Jai and Irey.”  
  
It turned out that Wally knew Donna, and he fussed over her. He raged when he heard the story, and it was revealed that Barry Allen was his uncle. “He changed time!” Wally yelled. “He must have!”  
  
It took Jason and Linda a long while to calm him down.  
  
A woman named Holly Robinson appeared on her own free will one day, scowling and complaining about a woman named Selina ignoring her.  
  
Helena led a girl named Cassandra there, grumbling about overseas flights. Steph tackled her bodily, shouting for joy. Cassandra looked relieved as well, although she hid it well.  
  
“Any others?” Jason asked Helena quietly.  
  
Helena shook her head. “None that I could find.” She looked upset.  
  
Jason placed a hand on her shoulder. “You did your best.”  
  
“I know, Father,” she said. He started a little. She had always called him Todd, or Jason, when she was in a good mood. She had never acknowledged his calling. “I just… it feels so wrong. The whole world, Father. Everything is just so off.”  
  
Jason’s little church was full. The beds were all occupied for the first time in living memory, and the five children spent most of the days together, swapping stories and playing games. Jason spent much of his time trying to keep the five of them out of the belfry, not trusting them not to manage to hurt themselves. He prayed day and night, still searching for answers that did not seem likely to come.  
  
And then Donna woke up.  
  
Donna, somehow, knew the story. She told them about the three worlds. The World that Was, where all of them were from, the World that Became, where Jason was from, and the World that Is, which is the world that they currently dwelled in. Helena could leave because she existed—almost—in the World that Is. None of the others did, which constricted them.  
  
“And why here?” Jason asked her after the others had left to go make dinner.  
  
“I don’t know, Jason,” she said softly, turning large, sympathetic eyes towards him. 

* * *

“Daddy?” A little head appeared from behind Linda. Her eyes focused on Roy. “You’re here?” She sounded hopeful.  
  
Roy looked around, confused. All of the attention in the room was now split between him and the little girl.  
  
“Daddy?” Kori asked, a small smile appearing on her face. “You did not tell me…”  
  
“I’m… I’m not!” Roy said, looking baffled as a tiny little six year old tackled him.  
  
“Daddy!” She squealed, clinging to him. “I knew you’d come, I knew it!”  
  
Roy Harper flickered. Suddenly, the baseball cap disappeared. Something changed in his face. “Lian!” He hugged her tightly. Tears went down his face. “I’d thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.  
  
“Robin?”   
  
A small, red haired boy emerged from the staircase. His eyes were wide and curious as he peered. A smile sprung to his face. “Robin!”  
  
The boy emerged from the staircase. He wore a pair of flannel pajamas that were a little too big for him, and his hair stuck out in all directions. Clearly, the boy had just been sleeping.   
  
The other Jason frowned. “Colin, did you wake up the others?”  
  
“… no,” the other boy said guiltily. The priest turned to the staircase, radiating stern displeasure that reminded the Batfamily of Alfred. Which was weird, because this man was Jason Todd.   
  
“Sorry, I think I woke them up,” Helena said.   
  
“At least the twins are still asleep,” Wally said.   
  
Robin was frowning at the red haired boy. “Do I know you?”  
  
Colin’s face fell. “You don’t know me?”   
  
Donna placed a hand on Colin’s shoulder, drawing him back towards her. “None of them do,” she said quietly.   
  
They all looked at Roy, who was still too busy hugging his daughter to notice the rest of them. 

Steph’s mouth drew into a thin line. “Okay, enough of this bullshit.” She marched over to Tim, glowered up into his cowled eyes, and then pulled him down for a kiss.   
  
Tim’s arms flailed in the air in surprise. Dick’s jaw went slightly slack. Damian snorted. Cass giggled.   
  
Tim… flickered.   
  
For a second, they all could see a faint gold aura surround Tim. Father Todd smiled slightly. 

The flicker faded, leaving Tim visibly the same as before. Apart from that though…  
  
“Steph!” Tim declared as they pulled apart.   
  
“Finally,” Steph said, leaning her forehead against his. “I was starting to wonder if it would work.”  
  
“You… knew that would work?” Wally said, brows furrowed.   
  
“Nope!” Steph said.   
  
Tim turned his attention to the others. “Donna! Wally! Cass!” He surged forward, grabbing the petite girl into a tight hug, which she returned enthusiastically.  
  
“I’m not kissing Dick,” Wally said to Donna. “I don’t care if it helps, I’m not kissing him.”   
  
“I never thought you would be a coward, Wally,” Donna said, eyes sparkling with amusement.  
  
“It’s just a taste thing,” Wally told her. “I don’t care if I have red hair, it’s your responsibility to pull him out of it.”   
  
“What’s going on here?” Dick demanded, looking very confused and a little bit flustered at seeing his little brother hugging a bunch of strangers.   
  
“You really don’t remember?” Colin was saying to Damian. “I was Abuse. I wore a trench coat? You used blood as a mask and it was unhygienic?”  
  
“You’re talking nonsense,” Damian snapped. “Leave me alone.”  
  
Cass walked up to Colin, leaned over, and whispered in his ear. “Try hugging him. It puts him in a better mood.”  
  
Without further ado the red head boy lunged forward, catching the wayward Robin in a tight embrace. Damian tried to squirm out of it, but to no avail. The little boy was surprisingly strong, and held him in place.  
  
Damian flickered as well, the golden aura appearing again. It wrapped around him like a blanket, pulling tightly around the two boys. When it faded, Damian was hugging Colin back. “Wilkes!” The boy said. For a moment, he looked like a normal ten year old. It faded quickly. He shoved him away, scowling.   
  
“Oh, so hugs work then?” Wally asked, relieved. He promptly tackle hugged Richard John Grayson, grinning like an idiot. “Manly hug bonding time!”   
  
Donna rolled her eyes. “Boys.” A sudden smile appeared on her face, and she moved over to Jason. Jason fingered his guns warily. She smiled at Kori. “Hello.” She then promptly grabbed Jason by the jacket and pulled him in for a kiss.   
  
“Wally!” Kori turned her head as Dick yelled out for joy. He was now wearing a blue version of his Nightwing costume, beaming broadly. Something stirred in Kori’s heart.   
  
Unbeknownst to her, unnoticed by anyone else, a faint gold aura began to surround Kori.   
  
Jason and Donna were a bit preoccupied playing tonsil hockey to notice Dick going through the motions of hugging absolutely everyone in the church, including, much to the man’s surprise, Father Todd, but Kori saw. A smile appeared on her face.  
  
The aura grew stronger, until Kori nearly faded from view completely. She flickered. Her clothes stretched outward, covering more and more of her body. Her hair became slightly curlier and thicker.   
  
Donna and Jason broke apart, making their way over to the rest of the group. Roy followed them, apparently having finally recovered from his emotional outburst. Kori stayed behind, watching the golden light flicker over her hands.   
  
Babs was flickering now as well. One moment she was Batgirl, tense and prepared to attack, confused at to what was going on. The next minute she was Oracle, wearing her sunglasses and smiling confidently. The golden aura around her grew stronger and stronger…  
  
And then Oracle was there, a smirk on her face and an escirma stick in her hand. “Babs!” An overjoyed Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown nearly knocked her out of her chair.   
  
“Babs?” Dick asked, looking at her as the two Batgirls pulled away from their mentor.   
  
“Come here you big idiot,” Babs declared.   
  
They kissed, and Jason and Tim looked at each other, decided to play annoying younger brothers in a single instant, and wolf-whistled.   
  
Bruce’s aura flickered for a single instant. Nothing visibly changed, but he laid a hand on Cass and Steph’s shoulders, and gave half a smile.   
  
Helena laughed. “That’s it? You finally see your kids, for the first time in ages, and you give them a shoulder pat.”  
  
Cass laughed, before pulling Bruce into a her tight embrace. “Group hug!” She yelled on the top of her lungs.  
  
It was like someone had just given a bunch of kindergartners permission to raid a candy store. Dick tackled Bruce from behind, laughing like a maniac. Tim pulled Jason forward, forcing the older boy to join the quickly forming group. Steph snagged Helena and pulled her forward as well. Damian and Colin were swooped into the mess somehow, much to Damian’s audible displeasure. Donna, without even needing to be asked, wrapped her arms around as many of them as she could manage. Lian lunged into the throng of people, forcing Roy to follow her. Nell and Wally looked at each other and joined in, both laughing.   
  
Kori watched, and smiled. She slid behind a pillar, not wanting to be noticed.   
  
When the hug finally broke up, Bruce turned to Father Todd. “The others.”  
  
Father Todd smiled. “The effect is spreading now. The whole world is being recreated. As it should be.”  
  
Relieved smiles spread throughout the group. “We better get going,” Barbara said with a frown. “I haven’t been to the Clocktower in ages. Who knows what kind of state my network’s in?”  
  
“I’ve been keeping it in repair,” Helena said. “Can’t guarantee the quality, but it’s not in shambles at least.”  
  
Babs flashed Helena a smile. “Thank you.”  
  
“C’mon, let’s go!” Dick said, beaming. “Alfred will want to see you guys!”  
  
“Ooh, Alfred waffles,” Steph said dreamily. “I’ve been hallucinating about those for months.”  
  
Damian snorted. Absently, Steph ruffled his hair. Damian let out a strangled noise of protest that sent Nell and Colin into fits of giggles.   
  
Slowly, surely, the group started to trickle out of the church.   
  
“Go ahead without me,” Donna told Jason and Dick, smiling faintly. She and Babs made eye contact, and the two nodded. They allowed the others to move past them, lingering in the church.   
  
“Kori?” Donna called out. Kori slipped into the open, much to the surprise of Father Todd.  
  
“You’re staying, aren’t you,” Babs said quietly.   
  
Kori nodded. “The memories… the changes… they are… hard to reconcile.” Her mouth was drawn into a thin line. “I need to figure out who I am. What I fight for. And I believe…” She looked around the church. “I believe this is the best place to do it.”  
  
“This place won’t be empty,” Donna said quietly. “This place… it is the home of the forgotten. It will always be. People will come here.”  
  
“I know,” Kori said, smiling. “But it is still much more peaceful here.”  
  
Babs leaned forward, and grabbed Kori’s hand. “When you figure it out. Come on by the Clocktower. The Birds could always use you.”  
  
Kori smiled at Babs. “Thank you. I will be sure to.”  
  
The two women left the building. Kori turned to Father Jason. “If I am welcome, of course?”  
  
He smiled at her. “You will always be welcome here, Koriand’r.”  
  
She smiled at him. 

* * *

Donna was right, of course. People trickled in over the course of the next few hours. Kori recognized some of them. The Dibney’s, hand in hand, laughing, were among the first. A girl in a Robin costume with short red hair ran through the room, laughing as she chased a boy that looked a lot like Donna’s son, albeit a few years older. A man and a woman, speedsters, raced in, chattering at high speed. Artemis, the Amazon, walked in, side by side with Azrael.   
  
Kori closed her eyes, and listened to the voices, letting them wash over her as she sat in one of the pews. She felt calm, closer to peace than she had been for a very long time.   
  
“Mommy?” A voice, very familiar, and yet very strange, asked from beside her.  
  
Kori turned.   
  
There was a little girl. Her hair was a familiar shade of black. Her eyes were green, and her skin was the same shade as Kori’s own.   
  
Kori flickered again. Nothing changed this time. She surged forward, catching her daughter up in her arms. “Mar’i!”   
  
“Mommy!” The seven year old curled her fingers into her mother’s hair, clinging on for dear like. Mar’i Grayson loved hugs, something she had inherited from her father.   
  
Kori clutched her daughter tightly.   
  
“You will be leaving us now, I suspect?” Father Jason said to her, walking up.   
  
She looked at Mar’i, resting in her arms. She looked up at Father Jason. “Do you think I can?”  
  
He smiled at her kindly. “I believe, that when something is remembered, anything is possible.” He placed a hand on her arm. “Be sure to visit.”  
  
She smiled at him. “I will. Father.”  
  
She pushed open the doors, hand in hand with her daughter.   
  
“Where are we going, Mommy?” Mar’i asked as they entered the streets of Gotham.   
  
Kori took to the air, tugging Mar’i up with her. “We are going to find our family, Mar’i.”   
  
The two of them flew off into the night, towards the shining Batsignal in the sky. 

**Author's Note:**

> -End


End file.
